Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, held July 11-15, 2016 at Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Center (AECC), Aberdeen, Scotland, UK.

Suggested Bibliographic Reference: Challenging New Frontiers in the Global Seafood Sector: Proceedings of the Eighteenth Biennial Conference of the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade, July 11-15, 2016. Compiled by Stefani J. Evers and Ann L. Shriver. International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), Corvallis, 2016.

Descriptions

This presentation explores the interaction of the fishery sector and the emerging push for marine biodiversity conservation. These are viewed as two ‘streams’ of governance – flowing through global bodies (notably the United Nations), through nations (with interacting environmental and fisheries agencies), and through thousands of coastal communities worldwide (which must seek synergies of livelihood and conservation imperatives). These governance ‘streams’ have evolved over the years, producing legislation, policy and management plans, affecting economies, ecosystems and societies, and generating a series of conflicts, affected by externally driven convergence and interactive coevolution. This presentation explore these changes, and their impacts on the sustainability of fisheries, drawing on insights in a new book, Governance of Marine Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation. The analysis is carried out at multiple scales from local to global, and across fishery types, geographical regions, and governmental levels. The cases examined – covering small-scale fisheries, small island developing states, regional management bodies, and global institutions – highlight the importance of an integrated and holistic approach to addressing specific fishery challenges and marine governance overall. Ultimately, it is concluded that while total convergence of the two governance streams, merging decision-making over fisheries and over biodiversity, may be unlikely, and even undesirable, avenues to productive integration in the future may benefit many marine commons globally.